SRI THYAGA BRAHMA GANA SABHA
Impressive for sheer vocal range
LALITHAA KRISHNAN
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Clear diction, refinement and purity of tone marked the recital of Nithyashree Mahadevan.
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Photo: R. Shivaji Rao.
RAZOR-SHARP: Nithyashree Mahadevan.
Although the hall was not packed, there was a sizeable audience to welcome Nithyashree Mahadevan back after her extended leave of absence from the performing arena. The opening phrases of Sahana led to the varnam `Karunimpa.' Nilakanta Sivan's `Sambho Mahadeva' (Bowli) stood out for ultra-clear diction and razor-sharp etching of sangathis.
In Tyagaraja's `Nenarunchara' (Simhavahini) the artiste made the most of the eduppu at three-fourths idam to reel off a series of compact 1-avartana swaras topped with a carefully structured concluding round that paid off in terms of effort and applause.
The full-bodied Chakravaham alapana had a wide sweep, the prayogas softened by jarus. It was only after the definitive phrasing around the tara sthayi shadja that the brigas made their appearance, hurtling down from the gandhara in full throttle, a feature that added to the value of the exposition.
Papanasam Sivan's `Eesanae' scored with its elaborate kalpanaswaras and effective korvai. Surprisingly, two closely related ragas - Brindavana Saranga (Gowrisankar Sthapathi's `Venkatesa naadam') and Madhyamavathi (the rarely encountered Tyagaraja krithi `Adigi sukhamu') — were featured but were also sufficiently distanced by other compositions to avoid familiar overtones.
The Hindustani-inspired treatment of Kumudakriya saw a predominance of plain notes handled with refinement. The sheer range of voice was impressive and the technique was transparent but the inherent flavour of the raga lay just beneath the surface, waiting to be tapped. Purity of tone lent shimmer to Muthuswami Dikshitar's `Ardhanareeswaram.'
Contrast in mood and pace came with Tyagaraja's crisply executed `Anaathudanu' (Jingala).
Nithyasree presented a Madhyamavathi of considerable substance actualised by painstaking craftsmanship. Traditional pidis strengthened the initial rishabha to panchama suite while the use of vadi-samvadi and mood-enhancing medium speed sancharas gave an added dimension. The hard work underlying the extensive neraval and melkala swaras embellished with apt poruttams, ensured smooth sailing. A steely determination to stick with the breadth of conception in raga and swaraprasthara without compromise, more than made up for the occasional discrepancies in the pinpoint accuracy of tara sthayi rishaba and madhyama notes.
B. Raghavendra Rao (violin) displayed some incredibly nimble fingering in traversing octaves with speed and clarity, resorting to the long bow to achieve sustained cycles that resonated with melody. I. Sivakumar's invaluable mridangam support was the firm base on which the success of Nithyashree's more adventurous laya endeavours rested.
H. Sivaramakrishnan (ghatam) and A.S.Krishnan (morsing) provided points of emphasis and effective tonal contrast.
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